United States

by Theodore Roosevelt

During the year preceding the outbreak of the Spanish War I was Assistant Secretary of the Navy. While my party was in opposition, I had preached, with all the fervor and zeal I possessed, our duty to intervene in Cuba, and to take this opportunity of driving the Spaniard from the Western World. Now that my party had come to power, I felt it incumbent on me, by word and deed, to do all I could to secure the carrying out of the policy in which I so heartily believed; and from the beginning I had determined that, if a war came, somehow or other, I was going to the front.

Up to the last moment we were spending every ounce of energy we had in getting the regiment into shape. Fortunately, there were a good many vacancies among the officers, as the original number of 780 men was increased to 1,000; so that two companies were organized entirely anew. This gave the chance to promote some first-rate men.

 THE HURON MISSION-HOUSE. - ITS INMATES. - ITS FURNITURE. - ITS GUESTS. - 
 THE JESUIT AS A TEACHER. - AS AN ENGINEER. - BAPTISMS. - 
 HURON VILLAGE LIFE. - FESTIVITIES AND SORCERIES. - THE DREAM FEAST. - 
 THE PRIESTS ACCUSED OF MAGIC. - THE DROUGHT AND THE RED CROSS.

 MISCOU. - TADOUSSAC. - JOURNEYS OF DE QUEN. - DRUILLETES. - 
 HIS WINTER WITH THE MONTAGNAIS. - INFLUENCE OF THE MISSIONS. - 
 THE ABENAQUIS. - DRUILLETES ON THE KENNEBEC. - HIS EMBASSY TO BOSTON. - 
 GIBBONS. - DUDLEY. - BRADFORD. - ELIOT. - ENDICOTT. - 

 HURON GRAVES. - PREPARATION FOR THE CEREMONY. - DISINTERMENT. - 
 THE MOURNING. - THE FUNERAL MARCH. - THE GREAT SEPULCHRE. - 
 FUNERAL GAMES. - ENCAMPMENT OF THE MOURNERS. - GIFTS. - HARANGUES. - 
 FRENZY OF THE CROWD. - THE CLOSING SCENE. - ANOTHER RITE. - 
 THE CAPTIVE IROQUOIS. - THE SACRIFICE.

 INDIAN INFATUATION. - IROQUOIS AND HURON. - HURON TRIUMPHS. - 
 THE CAPTIVE IROQUOIS. - HIS FEROCITY AND FORTITUDE. - PARTISAN EXPLOITS. - 
 DIPLOMACY. - THE ANDASTES. - THE HURON EMBASSY. - NEW NEGOTIATIONS. - 
 THE IROQUOIS AMBASSADOR. - HIS SUICIDE. - IROQUOIS HONOR.

 ENTHUSIASM FOR THE MISSION. - SICKNESS OF THE PRIESTS. - 
 THE PEST AMONG THE HURONS. - THE JESUIT ON HIS ROUNDS. - 
 EFFORTS AT CONVERSION. - PRIESTS AND SORCERERS. - THE MAN-DEVIL. - 
 THE MAGICIAN'S PRESCRIPTION. - INDIAN DOCTORS AND PATIENTS. - 
 COVERT BAPTISMS. - SELF-DEVOTION OF THE JESUITS.

 HOPES OF THE MISSION. - CHRISTIAN AND HEATHEN. - BODY AND SOUL. - 
 POSITION OF PROSELYTES. - THE HURON GIRL'S VISIT TO HEAVEN. - A CRISIS. - 
 HURON JUSTICE. - MURDER AND ATONEMENT. - HOPES AND FEARS.

by Francis Parkman